Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 27, 2025
First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2.9-13
9Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.10You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.13And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
Psalm 139
1O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.2You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.3You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.4Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.5You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.7Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?8If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.9If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,10even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.11If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"12even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.15My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,16your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.17How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!18Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.19If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!20They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.21Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you?22I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.24See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Gospel: Matthew 23.27-32
27"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.29"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.30And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful messages that invite us to reflect on the authenticity of our faith and the integrity of our actions. The first reading from 1 Thessalonians describes the Apostle Paul’s missionary work, emphasizing his dedication, hard work, and fatherly care for the Thessalonian community. Paul and his companions preached the Gospel not for personal gain but out of love, and they labored tirelessly to ensure they were not a burden to others. They exhorted the Thessalonians to live in a way worthy of God’s call, and they rejoiced because the community received the Word of God as divine, not human, and allowed it to transform their lives.
The Gospel from Matthew presents a stark contrast. Jesus denounces the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Outwardly, they appeared righteous, building monuments to the prophets and claiming to honor them. Yet inwardly, they were filled with corruption and iniquity. Jesus accuses them of being sons of those who persecuted the prophets, implying that their actions align with the sins of their ancestors. This passage serves as a warning against superficial piety and the danger of prioritizing appearances over true conversion of heart.
These readings challenge us to examine our own lives. Like Paul, are we living with sincerity and integrity, allowing the Word of God to transform us? Or are we like the scribes and Pharisees, content with outward appearances while neglecting the inner call to holiness? Jesus calls us to authenticity, to a faith that is not just about rituals or external practices but about a deep, abiding relationship with God. Let us strive to live in such a way that our actions reflect the truth of our faith, and may we always remember that true righteousness is not about what others see but about the condition of our hearts before God.